fur store to build new jughandle
Plans to acquire
fur store to build new jughandle
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer
DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox
East Brunswick was formally presented with a $3 million state Department of Transportation (DOT) grant for a major road reconfiguration project in the vicinity of Route 18, Tices Lane and Old Bridge Turnpike on Monday.
At an afternoon press conference in the parking lot of Sam’s Club, Route 18, state officials, including DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox and state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-18), presented a ceremonial check and discussed the road conditions and the project with township officials.
The improvements — which include a series of road widenings, jughandle construction and traffic signal changes, not just on Route 18 but in the entire vicinity around Tices Lane and Old Bridge Turnpike — are the result of studies prompted by congestion and accidents in the area.
Local officials expressed gratitude that the estimated $6 million cost of the project would be abated with the state grant, as well as with $1.5 million from Middlesex County.
"This Route 18 area traffic improvement is the first in over a decade," Mayor William Neary said. "The project, which will improve the daily commute for thousands, will, more importantly from a local perspective, ease traffic which at times, under current conditions, is gridlocked."
Officials are hopeful the work will begin in 2003.
"This is a heavily traveled stretch of Route 18 on which the livelihood of many businesses depend," Fox said. "Around the state we are trying to bring these types of projects to construction so that motorists can get where they are going easily and safely."
The project will also incorporate changes to several businesses’ points of access as well as driveway improvements.
Plans include the acquisition of Furs by Guarino, which is located on Route 18 southbound where a jughandle will be built north of Route 18 and the connector road. The business has been located there for about five years. The owners had restored a run-down building that was previously an auto parts store and turned it into a steel-lined vault. The store has been the site of numerous animal rights protests. The fur shop had previously operated for 10 years in a building near Movie City 5.
The owner of Guarino Furs, John Guarino — whose family went into the fur business in Plainfield in 1946 — presently has operations in East Brunswick and Green Brook, Somerset County.
Guarino said Tuesday that he had been told in recent years by Neary that one of the road construction options included the use of his property, but he said he has not heard from any government agency about whether his business will truly be affected.
"I’m concerned, but I have no facts yet," he said. Upon being told about the state’s plan to acquire his business, he said, "That is a problem because we really like that spot."
In addition to having "put a ton of money into the building," Guarino said the site’s visibility and the fact that it is a freestanding structure are benefits to the business.
"You’re not going to find too many buildings like that on Route 18," he said. "The visibility is wonderful right there."
"It’s not that easy to just pick up and move," he added.
The state’s road project includes widening Tices Lane to three westbound and two eastbound lanes; the construction of a reverse jughandle north of Route 18 northbound and Tices Lane; the closing of the present northbound jughandle; modification of the traffic signal at Tices Lane and Route 18; conversion of Tices Lane between Route 18 and Old Bridge Turnpike into a two-way road; and the widening of the roadways and installation of a semiactuated traffic signal at Tices Lane and Old Bridge Turnpike.
Also the removal of both the traffic signal and jughandle at West Prospect Street is planned as well as improvements at West Prospect Street and Old Bridge Turnpike.
Additionally, a one-way connector road will be built from Tices Lane to the East Brunswick warehouse access, and a two-way road will be built extending from the warehouse access to Route 18, across from Highland Street, which will be closed at Route 18 northbound. A traffic signal and jughandle will be built where the connector road meets Route 18, allowing truck drivers to turn left or right onto the state highway.
In addition to relieving some of the traffic congestion in the area — in part by removing the traffic light at West Prospect Street, which officials said is located too close to the signal at Tices Lane — officials are hoping to see a decline in the number of accidents.
A 1998 traffic study commissioned by the township found that about 100 accidents take place in that area.
"We have an awful lot of fender benders," Neary said of the accidents recorded.
Fox said the congestion on Route 18 "is legendary," and noted that "drivers wait up to 10 minutes at the intersection [with Tices Lane]."
According to the DOT, about 58,000 vehicles use Route 18 to travel through East Brunswick every day.
"This is a perfect example of an intersection and a road that has been neglected by the DOT," Fox said.
Despite the more than $6 billion deficit the state is presently facing, the capital budget for the DOT has not been reduced by Gov. James McGreevey, Fox said. The DOT’s $2.5 billion capital budget is used for mass transit, road and bridge repairs.
Despite the deficit, New Jersey "couldn’t cut back on infrastructure work," Fox said.
"It’s not so easy finding money these days, but if you know where to look, you can find it," Buono said, adding that she learned long ago to try and avoid Route 18 when possible because of its traffic.
Buono said local businesses will greatly benefit from the improved conditions once the project is completed. Environmental problems also will be improved, she added.
"Air quality is severely affected by cars idling for a significant amount of time," she said.
Fox said the improvements are part of the state’s "fix it first" philosophy in applying budgetary funds. He said state officials do not want to invest in projects that will make sprawl even worse, but instead want to address existing infrastructure issues.
"We need to address our troubled hot spots," he said.

